Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I asked the Minister a significant number of questions when I outlined the problems with how he has gone about doing this. I have not had any answers to those except for the stock response which was mostly outlined in the press release announcing this decision. I asked the Minister about the factory contribution and whether that is something he sought assistance with in his engagement with the meat industry, or if he sought a contribution from it about the issue. The Minister has outlined how farmers should be glad that there will be a saving of labour with lambs leaving their farms. There will also be a significant saving of labour for the factory. I would have thought the Minister would have engaged with them to seek some contribution. I outlined that if lambs are going straight from the farm to the factory, if a farmer has 50 lambs, they will all go from his farm with his tags and it will cost him an additional €50 now. That is a significant cost for an enterprise and for farmers where the average sheep farm makes €15,000 a year. We should not be so flippant about the cost implications for them and placing the entire burden on them.

The Minister outlined that there was consultation. I remind him that any consultation he had with the farming organisations dates back to summer 2015. If there has been more consultation since then, the Minister might outline what it was. All the farming organisations, including the Irish Farmers' Association, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association, and the Irish Natura And Hill Farmers Association, INHFA, have been annoyed at how the Minister has gone about doing this. He might outline that to us. I remind the Minister that the consultation he had with political parties amounted to one meeting.

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